Mabh Savage
Words and the world passing by; how it sings to me; how I clamour back.
Imbolc Book Club: On Now!
What’s your favourite Pagan book for beginners? Come tell us all about it at the Imbolc Book Club!
https://facebook.com/events/s/pf-imbolc-book-club/617211628849368/?ti=icl
Imbolc Blessings!
May the first stirrings of spring be felt joyfully within you. Here’s my musings from last year:
From Europe to Eternity
As much as I would like to say something meaningful about the U.K., my home, leaving the European Union today, I’m finding it hard to find the words. I feel a bit numb; like it’s a bad dream I might wake up from. But then, I’m hyper aware of how melodramatic that sounds, especially to those who either supported the Leave campaign or who don’t care much either way.
I firmly believe this is the wrong decision. I believe that we are stronger together. I believe that as an island country with no empire (despite what some seem to believe) and few meaningful trade agreements as yet, we will struggle. There’s this pervasive attitude of “Well, we’ll struggle through together! Like in the war!” But… we shouldn’t have to. We shouldn’t have to.
Having said that, little I or anyone else can say will change what’s going to happen today. We are leaving the EU. Bloody hell, I’ve got a tear in my eye as I write this. We are leaving the EU and now all we can do is this: unify. We must, we have to forget the things that divide us and work together to make sure no one suffers because of the changes that are coming. We need to become a nation of kindness, of compassion, of celebrated diversity and acceptance for all. We need to be firm and fight when required, whether via letters to MPs, protests, or at the voting booth. We need to keep our voices, all our voices, loud and steady, as steady as they can be, to ensure fairness for everyone. Opportunities for everyone.
We are leaving. Nothing can change that now. Britain looks into eternity alone, with uncertainty, with at least eleven months of trials and trade agreement troubles and trepidation. Let’s make it as easy as we can by being the best we can for each other. The best we can be.
I Realised I Was Air
I realised I was air today
After years of toying with fire
Getting fingers burned yet
Revelling in the pain
Believing I may be a green witch
A child of the earth
Because I could grow things
Back from almost nothing
Nurturing and coaxing straggling shoots
Back to life.
Then when the house nearly flooded
Over and over
I thought water was mad at me
For not taking notice
For not paying it enough attention
Or respect.
But I realised I was air today.
Standing in the kitchen
The door slightly open
So the cats could run in and out
As they pleased
The wind blew hard and sudden
Trees whipping wildly
And the grass transformed to waves
I felt it
Right down my spine
The thrill of the wind
And I remembered
Laughing on the edge of a cliff
Stormy nights and days made dark to match
Clouds scudding across the moon
Battering door frames and windows
And the slow, elegant breaths of meditation.
Suddenly the rain started
The green garden glinted gloriously
Like a great flat emerald
And the central heating roaring behind me
The fire in my heart and hearth
Of this modern age
And I became confused
With the heat, the soil, the dripping sky
But then the wind howled, triumphant
Clearing the cobwebs away
You are air, they say
Realise, you are air.
The Christmas Tree
May you have a wonderful Yuletide or Christmas, however you may be celebrating or spending your time these next few days. Here’s my musings on the magic of the Christmas Tree over at Pagan Pages:
https://paganpages.org/emagazine/2019/12/01/notes-from-the-apothecary-56/
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Luke Eastwood: How to Save the Planet
Let me start by saying that this kind of primer is absolutely essential. We know climate change is a serious issue. We know humans have the biggest impact on the planet. As a society, we understand this. But on an individual level, I think our understanding has that surreal kind of disconnection that means we don’t quite get that it means us. You. Me. Everyone. We all have to change and we all have to change now. Luke’s book is not only a way to reconnect with this truth but guidance on exactly how to do this.
How to Save the Planet is handily split into ten simple steps. Just reading the contents page isn’t enough though. Luke takes each point and expands upon it, exploring the collective sense of denial I touched upon above but more importantly explaining why each action is vital and the impact it will have.
For example, buying less stuff isn’t just an individual’s impact on natural resources and their own carbon footprint, but about sending a message to manufacturers and retailers that demand is dropping and they should make less and offer less in the first place.
Luke also considers reducing the amount of meat we consume- from a meat lover’s perspective. Too often, people presume that everyone preaching “eat less meat” has been vegan for decades and “doesn’t understand” the need for animal-based protein. Luke, like myself, enjoys eating fish and meat but recognises that the meat industry is not only bad news for the animals we eat, but for the wider environment. Eating less meat is achievable and I think hearing that message from an actual meat eater has the potential to have a much more powerful impact among die-hard carnivores.
Luke touches on issues which can be very controversial: family size, travel, and our responsibilities as humans to campaign for a better world. These can be emotional topics, but the more we open up a healthy debate about them, the closer we get to a genuine societal realisation that we can make changes and those changes really will make a positive difference to this amazing planet.
I’m going to read this book to my husband and kids and I’m going to give copies, digitally purchased of course, to all my friends. Please, take a look inside and realise that you are so important and vital and integral to our planet’s survival. You really can help save the world. And so can we all.
Buy Luke’s book here.
Mabh Savage 